Baubles of the Heart
by Shi-Toyu
Summary: They say that crows are attracted to shiny things, but you shouldn't believe everything you hear. Sometimes, they are attracted to very dark things. Diavicent. DiavalXMaleficent.


A/N: Oh, yeah. This movie was like an inspiration machine! I was instantly a huge supporter of Diaval and Maleficent. Here's a short little piece I thought of first. And don't worry, I've got a few more planned.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Baubles of the Heart

It is said that crows are attracted to shiny things, but you should not always believe everything you hear. Sometimes, they are attracted to very dark things. Our story is about one such crow. At least, he was a crow when the tale began.

The first time Diaval saw Maleficent, _really_ saw her, he was struck by her appearance. The night before, when he'd seen her in the ruins of the castle, he hadn't realized what he was seeing. A crow's mind didn't pay attention to such things as emotions and states of the mind. It was only seeing her now, through the eyes of a man, that he understood how broken she had been.

Somehow, though, she stood before him strong and confident, having saved his life. There was no trace of the pitiable creature he had seen before. It intrigued him and, as with anything that intrigues his kind, he was drawn to investigate. So he swore himself into Maleficent's service, ensuring himself a front-row seat from which to study her.

The faerie proved herself a capable and ruthless Mistress from the very start. She knew almost immediately how to put each piece of information Diaval brought her to the most devastating use. He had to admire that cleverness, but it was not the feature he truly desired to see. The darkness continued to cling to her, never allowing him a glimpse of the wounded creature inside.

Diaval was no idiot, after all. He knew his Mistress had no wings, and that she had lost them traumatically. He had even caught a glimpse of the horrible wounds left behind on one occasion. It took only a few trips into the castle to discover what had happened to them, even if he didn't know the details. Her hatred for the humans, and especially their leader who kept her wings mounted like trophies, spoke volumes.

As she swept through the Moor, seizing control of creatures that had never known anything but freedom, the darkness wrapped around her, warping her to fit her new role. As she raised the wall of thorns to protect her land, the darkness acted as a wall just as impregnable around her person. When he brought her the news of Stefan's heir, the darkness drew so close as to completely snuff out that hint of light that still remained.

It was beautiful.

Despite himself, he loved watching her at the baby's shower. She'd been graceful and confident, far wittier that any of the other boring idiots in the hall. The gap between them and his Mistress had never been so startlingly clear in its vastness. She, truly, was a class all her own. Yet it seemed as though the darkness that surrounded her was deeper and more consuming than ever.

As they watched the child, Aurora, for the first time, the ever present darkness seemed frail to Diaval. It would not be something noticeable to anyone but himself. No one knew Maleficent like he did, after all. It made him all the more curious to see what reactions the child would bring about in his Mistress. Perhaps she would be the key to solving this mystery he was faced with.

It was for this reason that he cared for Aurora in those early times, before the faeries had figured out some vague semblance of competence and before Maleficent began ordering him to. When they had watched Aurora in the field, when she'd wandered straight off the edge of the cliff, Diaval had thought Maleficent would let the girl fall. His distress from his plans being foiled was only augmented by the affection he had developed towards the child.

But his Mistress had not let the child fall. She had saved Aurora, setting her safely back atop the cliff and watching to make sure she did not wander too close again. The darkness did not falter, though it shifted around her, billowing like a cloud.

It wasn't until several years had passed that Diaval was able to see that darkness recede, if only a little. Maleficent had been healing the forest, one of her duties as Guardian that had not gone neglected for even a day. The crow, for he was a crow at the time, didn't know how the child had found them, but he was glad she did. The look on Maleficent's face when she had picked Aurora up did little to quench his curiosity. It only made him thirst even more. How could any being be so utterly surprised not to be feared?

After that, the cracks in the darkness seemed to spread, little by little, each time they saw the child his Mistress had cursed. Maleficent's smile became easier and she was quicker to come back at his incessant comments with humor rather than anger. Still, the darkness lingered. It crept over Maleficent's countenance like a fungus, taking root and refusing to die. The cracks allowed a glimpse of the light within, but they didn't let any out.

The first chink in the darkness, the first, tiny hole, came when Maleficent brought Aurora into the Moor. The girl's wonder, accompanied by her affection for her 'faerie godmother', allowed the first bit of light to shine through. It glittered and sparked and all Diaval could think about was how he wanted more, more, more.

He began to crave Aurora's visits in the same way that he craved food and water. Each time she came to the Moor, a little more light would shine through the darkness that enveloped his Mistress. In her absence, though, the darkness would roll back in, like storm clouds blocking out the sun. For this, Diaval envied her. He would happily stay in the form of a filthy dog for the rest of his life, if only for that ability.

When Maleficent had tried to take her curse back, and it hadn't worked, the darkness had come back with a vengeance. She hadn't told Diaval what she had tried, but she hardly needed to. He watched her constantly and, even if he didn't, her devastation after her failure would have given a clear enough story. Even the appearance of that boy, Francis, or whatever his name had been, had not eased her distress.

"There is no such thing as true love!"

The bitterness in Maleficent's words as she shouted those words was striking, and the darkness swirled about her like a tornado, engulfing everything. Diaval felt like he couldn't even get close to her, but he had to try. If anything happened to Aurora now, he would lose Maleficent's light forever. So he had been sharp with her, throwing truths in her face that he knew would hurt just so she would see them. He hated to do it, but it was necessary.

Outside of the castle, when she had tried to leave him behind, he had felt almost insulted. Did she truly believe that he would just leave her after all this time? He had spent more than a decade, approaching two, even, in her service. He was hardly going to abandon her now.

Still, there was a pain in his chest, thinking of how they would not be leaving alive. He would do everything he could to keep her safe, but he was hardly a gifted warrior. He had no abilities or powers like the others of the Moor. Everything he was, he was because of his Mistress. Were he still a crow, he would have died many years before. She owned his very life, by his own oath, and it would only be right for him to end his days at her side.

He followed Maleficent through the corridors of the castle, silent and suspiciously abandoned. It seemed suspicious that they had only met the one guard, and he so easy to take out. They had bigger things to worry about, though, and Diaval knew his Mistress set aside her concerns in favor of worrying about Aurora. He could not blame her, but stayed extra vigilant himself to compensate.

It was easy to goad the faeries out of Aurora's room, and to tempt them into taking…Franklin (?) inside. For all their foolishness and idiocy, they cared for Aurora. In Diaval's opinion, it was probably their singular redeeming quality. He and Maleficent hid behind the room's changing screen, waiting with baited breath and the faeries talked Fernando into giving the princess a kiss.

Yet Aurora did not wake. She continued to lay on the bed, still and sleeping, as the faeries kicked up a fuss and chased the prince from the room. She did not react as Maleficent strode across the room to stand beside her bed.

"I will not ask you to forgive me."

Diaval stood back as she spoke, startled. The ever present darkness clung to Maleficent by only the barest of strands. More naked than he had ever seen her, the light pouring from her very being filled the room. Magic danced through the air like dust in the breeze and Diaval found himself completely captivated.

His mind only caught back up with the situation when Maleficent bent to place a kiss upon Aurora's brow. It was a goodbye, and an apology to accompany the one she had just spoken aloud. Diaval sent the princess his own silent thanks, for the final gift she had given him. Even in her cursed, eternal sleep, she had broken through the darkness surrounding his Mistress.

Then her eyes and slowly opened, and her soft voice seemed to fill the room to the brim.

"Hello, Godmother."

And the light was blinding.

Diaval could not help but smile, beaming at how beautiful Maleficent looked, how radiant and new. The change was unmistakable. It was in that moment, watching her when she only had eyes for the princess, when her motherly love spilled over and happiness blossomed from her very core, that Diaval came to a realization he probably should have come to years before.

There was more than one true love discovered in that room that day. As it turned out, crows are attracted to shiny things, after all, especially if they are hidden behind a touch of darkness.

But that was something to worry about later. For now, they needed to get out of the castle and back to the Moor without losing their lives. Diaval was more determined than ever to see that through. His lips twisted into a smirk at the thought. If his Mistress thought he'd been hard to get rid of before, it was going to be downright impossible now.

A/N: Thank you for reading. Please leave comments and criticisms in the review box. They really help me improve my writing and I appreciate the feedback. I hope you have enjoyed!


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